South Korea qualifies for the 2026 World Cup, making it their 11th tournament

South Korea became the sixth country to qualify for the FIFA World Cup for 11 consecutive times. Under the team’s head coach, Hong Myung-bo, Korea secured the spot by defeating Iraq with a final scoreline of 2-0 at the Basra International Stadium. This is their ninth Group B match of the third round of Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup in North and Central America.

This has been a historic milestone for the country, as even football’s birthplace, England, has not achieved such a feat. Given South Korea’s win, they are guaranteed at least second place in their group and secured a direct spot at the World Cup, regardless of the result in their final match against Kuwait. 

Moreover, Korea now tops their group with 19 points from five wins and four draws. They have a seven-point lead over third-placed Iraq, who have 12 points. 

Korea’s qualification for its 11th straight FIFA World Cup adds to a streak that started with the 1986 tournament in Mexico. Truly, it will continue through to the 2026 World Cup in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. 

This successfully achieved the sixth-longest streak in World Cup history. It is known that Brazil holds the record with 22 consecutive appearances since the first tournament in 1930, and Germany follows with 18. Argentina and Italy share third place with 14 appearances, while Spain is in fifth place with 12 consecutive appearances since 1978.

Currently, South Korea trails these major footballing countries in terms of World Cup consistency. 

More so, Brazil, Germany, Argentina, Italy, Spain, and South Korea are the only countries that have qualified for the World Cup 11 or more times in a row. England and France have never gone beyond seven straight due to the intense European qualifiers.

Japan follows Korea among Asian countries with eight consecutive appearances.

In a social media post shared by Gianni Infantino, FIFA’s President, he announced South Korea’s involvement at the 2026 World Cup. He expressed: “Many congratulations to 🇰🇷 Korea Republic for your qualification to the FIFA World Cup 2026 in 🇨🇦 Canada,🇲🇽 Mexico and the 🇺🇸 United States. 👏

An 11th straight participation is a record for nations outside Europe and South America and a truly impressive achievement. The memories from 2002, when you welcomed the world as @fifaworldcup co-hosts and reached the semi-finals, remain fresh in our minds. We can’t wait to see you again next summer! ⚽.”

In another social media post shared by FIFA World Cup, it stated: “🤩 Can 🇰🇷 create more moments like this at #FIFAWorldCup 26?”

Netizens showed their support in the comments section by saying: “South Korea surprises with unpredictable games❤️,” “Respect for Korean Team🇰🇷,” and “Japan and South Korea two nations are very interesting ❤️.”